Baden State Library, Regional library and art collection in Karlsruhe, Germany
The Baden State Library is a research institution holding roughly 2.9 million items, including medieval manuscripts, historical maps, music manuscripts, and rare printed books spanning different centuries. The collection has specialized sections that users can access in reading rooms and through digital archives.
The institution was founded in 1500 as a book collection for the margraves and grand dukes of Baden and grew over centuries through collecting activities. An air raid in 1942 destroyed around 360,000 volumes, marking a major turning point in the institution's history.
The manuscript collection largely comes from Reichenau monastery and shows early medieval works, while the music section preserves compositions by court musicians and regional composers. Visitors can see these holdings in the exhibition areas and understand how music and learning played a role at the Baden court.
The building offers reading spaces for visitors with different needs and allows access to materials on-site as well as online access to digitized content. It helps to check opening hours and know that some collections may require advance registration.
The collection holds one of the largest groups of historical maps from the 16th century focused on the Upper Rhine region. This series of maps documents the historical geography and political boundaries of an entire region across generations.
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